Is AI actually taking up my job?
A number of years in the past, I by no means thought robots would come for the inventive business. However right here I’m, a author who constructed my profession by phrases, now staring down the fact that synthetic intelligence (AI) can churn out articles in seconds — and without cost.
Inside a number of months of ChatGPT’s launch, generative AI grew to become much more superior, now able to churning out photos, movies and even music. My greatest pal, who drew the enduring Finances Babe graphic that you simply guys have seen on this weblog for the final decade, spent shut to twenty years honing her inventive illustration abilities. However at present, Midjourney, DALL-E and Leonardo AI are actually capable of create and replicate graphics in nearly any artist’s fashion. A few of you may need even tried it out just lately, whenever you generated your individual Studio Ghibli-styled photos on ChatGPT these days.
Supply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b2wnUi1UU
The know-how has superior past simply nonetheless textual content or photos. Instruments like HeyGen and Synthesia now lets you create movies with out even filming them your self, and have your avatar communicate in over 100+ international languages to achieve a wider viewers.
However worrying about AI taking up our jobs won’t assist us to cease the waves of change.
As an alternative, we will learn to surf and journey these waves to welcome the long run.
Right here’s what I’m doing to maintain myself related, and what you are able to do, too.
Embracing AI could make us higher at our work
Many employees who’re unable to replace their abilities as wanted find yourself dealing with wage stagnation, whereas employers concurrently complain that not sufficient employees possess the required abilities.
So in at present’s context, which means:
- embracing AI,
- studying methods to work with AI instruments, and
- consistently upgrading our abilities to stay related.
That’s the reason amidst my busy schedule, I’ve taken time to be taught – and follow – utilizing AI instruments to put in writing and generate my content material quicker. Due to ChatGPT, I now not endure from “writers’ block”. Canva AI has helped me to create visible graphics that I in any other case couldn’t conjure up on my own.
Determining methods to use these new instruments felt difficult at first, but it surely has gotten simpler over time. Fortunately, Singapore’s Finances 2025 has launched a number of initiatives to help our studying.
Lifelong Studying is extra important than ever earlier than
The Authorities’s latest Budgets rolled out vital enhancements to the SkillsFuture initiative. Particularly, the SkillsFuture Degree-Up Programme (SFLP) for Singaporeans aged 40 years and above gives:
- A SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) High-Up, which gives an extra $4,000 credit score to offset course charges for over 7,000 chosen programs geared toward bettering employability.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Full-Time Programs: Eligible people can now apply for a month-to-month allowance of as much as $3,000 when enterprise chosen full-time programs.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Half-Time Programs: As introduced at Finances 2025, beginning early 2026, eligible people enterprise chosen part-time programs can obtain a hard and fast allowance of $300 per thirty days to assist defray studying bills.
- Eligible people can obtain a most of 24 months of coaching allowance beneath the SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance, whether or not they pursue full-time or part-time coaching.
As an example, maybe you’re employed in finance and also you’re attempting to be taught AI to use to your work. Utilizing your SkillsFuture Credit score for a course just like the one under might considerably scale back your value of research:
Or maybe you’re attempting to pivot to the healthcare business (which my sister did), so as to serve and assist handle the rising ageing inhabitants in Singapore – a significant facet of care that requires a human contact and understanding past the capabilities of AI.
There are numerous programs accessible so that you can use your SkillsFuture Credit score on, so it’s possible you’ll browse the web site to search out what fits you greatest.
Word: When you have been between the ages of 25 and 39 years previous in 2020, you’d have obtained $1,000 SkillsFuture Credit score in whole, of which $500 will expire on 31 December 2025. I used mine in 2023 to review for a licence associated to my business which I’ve all the time needed, and the SkillsFuture Credit score got here in helpful because it diminished the price for me.
Once you flip 40, you’ll qualify for an extra $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) top-up to additional help your upskilling wants.
So long as you place your self strategically to select up the brand new in-demand abilities that employers search, value doesn’t must be a limiting issue.
There’ll all the time be methods to faucet on such authorities schemes to assist us subsidise or finance our studying charges.
Workforce Transformation is important, too
To stay aggressive, employers will even have to adapt and remodel their workforce, and undertake AI applied sciences to make their enterprise extra environment friendly.
To assist corporations modify, a number of initiatives have been introduced:
- A brand new SkillsFuture Workforce Growth Grant, which streamlines present workforce transformation schemes and gives larger funding help of as much as 70% for job redesign actions.
- A redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit score: to assist employers defray the out-of-pocket prices for workforce transformation upfront as a substitute of getting to spend first and look forward to reimbursement. All corporations with not less than 3 resident workers will get a contemporary $10,000 on this redesigned credit score from the second half of 2026.
- $200 million for NTUC’s Firm Coaching Committee grant: the grant will even be expanded to help employer-led coaching that results in formal {qualifications} or certifications.
In embracing AI, one of many initiatives my employer applied was to introduce automated AI note-taking to cut back the necessity for us to put in writing post-meeting minutes. Concurrently, it enabled those that missed the precise conferences to catch up in a jiffy!
As an example, if you happen to’re in a enterprise dealing with items, maybe you’ll prefer to implement automation know-how in order that much less time is spent manually monitoring stock to deal with serving prospects higher.
Take Actionable Steps to Future-Proof Our Profession
I really imagine that once we stand within the face of challenges, our outlook could make a marked distinction to our psychological well being and decide how we adapt.
We are able to both fret over how AI is “stealing our jobs”, or deal with changing into the employee who is aware of methods to use AI instruments for higher output than what our colleagues and friends can do.
Listed below are some actionable steps you’ll be able to think about taking:
- Assess your present abilities gaps: Establish areas the place AI might impression your position and business, learn up on the most recent instruments and watch tutorial movies of methods to use them.
- Discover related programs: With SkillsFuture Credit score given to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, you’ll be able to enrol in programs that align with rising business tendencies and calls for. Think about making use of for the month-to-month coaching allowances to defray your bills additional.
- Combine AI to finish your present duties: One of the best ways to grasp a talent is thru follow. Strive leveraging free AI instruments for a begin. It could take you somewhat longer at first, however with sufficient follow, you’ll finally discover that AI can prevent time and improve the depth of your experience.
As an alternative of attempting to stay to our previously-established methods of labor and lamenting how “the nice previous days are gone”, I favor to channel my consideration to looking for out alternatives within the new paradigm of labor.
What’s extra, even DBS has introduced that it expects to create 1,000 new AI-related jobs. This shift might be a chance for the employee who’s prepared to select up new AI instruments and apply for these new roles. The wage calls for for these roles are prone to be larger as properly.
Conclusion: Adapt and Thrive
Whereas AI presents challenges, it additionally presents alternatives for development and modern considering. AI instruments have already helped to hurry up a few of our work processes. Those that learn to leverage these instruments will develop into extra aggressive sooner or later, so you actually don’t need to be falling behind with the instances.
We can’t cease the waves of technological adjustments from disrupting our industries, however we will select to proactively upskill ourselves in order that we’re geared up to make use of these new instruments – to provide even higher work than earlier than.
The selection is as much as us.
Disclosure: This text is delivered to you in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
